What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for April 7, 2014. 

This is a service of the California Air Resources Board’s Office
of Communications.  You may need to sign in or register with
individual websites to view some of the following news articles.

AIR POLLUTION

Clean-air rule for cargo ships survives Russian challenge. 
Russia lost its bid this week to delay for years an international
agreement to cut air pollution from ships — a rule Southern
California regulators are counting on to help the region meet
clean-air goals. Container ships, oil tankers, cruise ships and
other diesel-powered ocean vessels that visit Los Angeles County
ports are the third-largest producer of nitrogen oxide in the
region. The pollutant mixes with other emissions to form ozone
and fine particles, both linked to a range of illnesses. Posted.
http://www.pe.com/local-news/topics/topics-environment-headlines/20140404-ship-smog-clean-air-rule-for-cargo-ships-survives-russian-challenge.ece


Beijing to film building sites in new smog control measure. 
China's capital Beijing will set up cameras at building sites
across the city to monitor how much construction contributes to
Beijing's notoriously polluted air, state media said. Air quality
in cities is of increasing concern to China's stability-obsessed
leaders, anxious to douse potential unrest as a more affluent
urban population turns against a growth-at-all-costs economic
model that has poisoned much of the country's air, water and
soil. Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/07/china-environment-idUSL3N0MZ0LZ20140407


Weber State students create pollution tracker.  Students at Weber
State University say they've found a new and improved way to
track air pollution.  Instead of getting data from fixed areas in
the state, their system can gather information specific to a
neighborhood.  Posted. 
http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Weber-State-students-create-pollution-tracker-5377363.php


CLIMATE CHANGE

Time running out to meet global warming target - U.N. report. 
World powers are running out of time to slash their use of
high-polluting fossil fuels and stay below agreed limits on
global warming, a draft U.N. study to be approved this week
shows. Government officials and top climate scientists will meet
in Berlin from April 7-12 to review the 29-page draft that also
estimates the needed shift to low-carbon energies would cost
between two and six percent of world output by 2050. Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/06/climate-un-idUSL5N0MW3MA20140406


Climate meeting to discuss future of fossil fuels.  After
concluding that global warming almost certainly is man-made and
poses a grave threat to humanity, the U.N.-sponsored expert panel
on climate change is moving on to the next phase: what to do
about it. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC,
will meet next week in Berlin to chart ways in which the world
can curb the greenhouse gas emissions that scientists say are
overheating the planet. Posted.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_UN_CLIMATE_PANEL?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


OTHER RELATED ARTICLES
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2014/apr/05/climate-meeting-to-discuss-future-of-fossil/#ixzz2yDYgGDGX
 
http://www.insidebayarea.com/AP%20Content/ci_25501776/Climate-meeting-to-discuss-future-of
 
http://www.contracostatimes.com/AP%20Content/ci_25501776/Climate-meeting-to-discuss-future-of


UN climate panel chairs call for 'enlightenment'.  The head of
the United Nations scientific panel on climate change has urged
governments to "exercise a high level of enlightenment" in order
to bridge their differences over how to stave off the worst
global warming scenarios. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change chairman Rajendra Pachauri told governments and scientists
on Monday that their task at the week-long meeting in Berlin is
to agree on a "robust, policy-relevant and informative document"
in order to keep global temperature increases below 2 degrees
Celsius (3.6 F) by the end of the century. Posted.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_UNITED_NATIONS_CLIMATE_PANEL?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


OTHER RELATED ARTICLES
http://www.modbee.com/2014/04/07/3279788/un-climate-panel-chairs-call-for.html#storylink=cpy

http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/04/07/3864324/un-climate-panel-chairs-call-for.html
 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/un-climate-panel-chairs-call-for-enlightenment/2014/04/07/05417edc-be33-11e3-9ee7-02c1e10a03f0_story.html


Marin welcomes Bay Area air quality district plan to control
greenhouse gases.  Marin environmental leaders applauded the
adoption this week by the Bay Area's air pollution board of a
10-point program with goals of reducing Bay Area greenhouse gas
emissions 80 percent, developing a regional climate action
strategy and creating rules cutting back energy use and
pollution.  Posted. 
http://www.marinij.com/marinnews/ci_25494364/marin-welcomes-bay-area-air-quality-district-plan


Joshua Tree National Park seeks ‘citizen scientists’. 
Researchers are starting a long-term project to measure the
impacts of climate change on the plants and animals in Joshua
Tree National Park and are enlisting “citizen scientists” who
will participate in the research during a weekend class on
Saturday and Sunday.  The class will be led by ecologist Cameron
Barrows, of UC Riverside’s Center for Conservation Biology, and
Josh Hoines, vegetation branch chief at Joshua Tree National
Park.  Posted. 
http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/environment/2014/04/07/joshua-tree-national-park-seeks-citizen-scientists-climate-change-research-study/7410061/


DROUGHT

California drought puzzle: store or conserve more water?  There
was a time not long ago when much of civilized society considered
each drop of river water that reached the ocean a wasted
resource.  That was before environmentalists pointed out the
benefits of the outflow to fish, wildlife and the ocean
ecosystem, setting off an ongoing tug-of-war between fishermen
and farmers in California that has reached a critical stage this
year as the state struggles through a drought.  Posted. 
http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/California-drought-puzzle-store-or-conserve-more-5381238.php


DIESEL EMISSIONS

Regulations on ships' pollution upheld.  Russia lost its bid last
week to delay for years an international agreement to cut air
pollution from ships – a rule Southern California regulators are
counting on to help the region meet clean-air goals.  Posted. 
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/ships-608640-air-pollution.html
 
http://www.pe.com/local-news/topics/topics-environment-headlines/20140404-ship-smog-clean-air-rule-for-cargo-ships-survives-russian-challenge.ece
  

FUELS

Cost Among Hurdles Slowing New York City’s Plan to Phase Out
Dirty Heating Oil. But three years into a four-year plan to phase
out No. 6, barely more than half of the buildings that were
burning it have switched to cleaner oil. And of those that have
stopped using No. 6, hundreds have switched to No. 4, which
though permitted for another 16 years, can be only slightly less
noxious, depending on the supplier. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/07/nyregion/cost-among-hurdles-slowing-new-yorks-plan-to-phase-out-dirty-heating-oil.html?_r=0


FRACKING

Declare a California fracking moratorium now.  Water is
top-of-mind for most Californians. Amid calls for conservation,
we have overlooked an obvious step to protect water supplies:
stopping extreme oil-extraction techniques such as fracking and
well stimulation.  Posted. 
http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Declare-a-California-fracking-moratorium-now-5380780.php

VEHICLES

Tesla to Get Fewer Eco Credits as California Tweaks Rules.  Tesla
Motors Inc., which had its first profitable quarter last year
aided by sales of California environmental credits, is to receive
fewer for each Model S sold as the state modifies its
zero-emission vehicle program. The Palo Alto, California-based
carmaker, which sold ZEV credits worth $129.8 million last year
to other automakers, will initially qualify for only four credits
per car sold in California and states that follow its rules.
That’s down from seven per Model S through 2013, according to
California’s Air Resources Board, which posted the changes April
3. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-04-04/tesla-to-get-fewer-eco-credits-as-california-tweaks-rules.html


California ARB posts final modifications for ZEV rule on fast
refueling/battery exchange for public comment.  The staff of the
California Air Resources Board (ARB) has posted for public
comment current final modifications for the Zero Emission Vehicle
Regulation for 15 days. (Earlier post.) Statutorily, depending
upon the comments received, ARB staff may either make further
modifications and resubmit to Board for further consideration;
failing that, the Board will adopt the new regulatory language. 
Posted. 
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2014/04/20140405-zev.html 

California rule change affects Tesla’s eco credits.  As the US
state with the toughest eco rules starts to modify its
zero-emission vehicle program, Tesla Motors could see its sales
of California environmental credits affected.  Last year the US
electric automaker – which has seen a huge boom in its
transaction fees for its shares and mostly accounted for its
first profitable quarter last year because of sales of the
credits earned by its Model S – could loose an important part of
its revenue.  Posted. 
http://www.inautonews.com/california-rule-change-affects-teslas-eco-credits#.U0LalIXxd4w

GREEN ENERGY

San Diego airport adds solar to new terminal.  Operators of the
San Diego International Airport have struck a 20-year deal to
provide its two main terminals with a big dose of solar power and
save at least $3 million in electricity costs in the process. The
San Diego airport's first solar array should produce enough power
to offset 10 percent to 13 percent of energy needs at the two
main terminals. Savings will depend on the trajectory of
electricity prices, but savings could reach $8 million, according
to the project's developers. Posted. 
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/apr/04/san-diego-terminal-solar/


World's Most-Polluting Country Leads in Clean-Energy Investment. 
Climate Central — Don’t let all those Texas wind farms and
massive installations of solar panels in California fool you. The
U.S. is not the world leader in clean energy investment. China
is. For the second year, an annual Pew Charitable Trusts report,
“Who’s Winning the Clean Energy Race?”, shows that China is the
world leader in clean energy investment, with $54 billion in
investments in renewables in 2013, well above total U.S.
investment of $36.7 billion. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-04-04/world-s-most-polluting-country-leads-in-clean-energy-investment.html


MISCELLANEOUS

Calaveras offering disposal of wood, yard waste for free.  In an
effort to curb smoke pollution from yard waste burning, Calaveras
County this month will offer a chance for people to dispose of
wood and yard waste for free at three county facilities.  The
smoke pollution is a classic illustration of how economic,
political and environmental problems are linked.  Posted. 
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20140407/A_NEWS/404070307


SDSU Wins $35,000 Grant for Journalism Experiment ‘What’s in the
Air?’  San Diego State University has won a $35,000 grant to test
air quality as part of a collaborative journalism project, the
Online News Association announced Friday.  SDSU’s winning
experiment — one of a dozen schools to get such grants — is
called “What’s in the Air?”  Posted. 
http://timesofsandiego.com/education/2014/04/04/sdsu-wins-35000-grant-journalism-experiment-whats-air/


EarthTalk: Explaining environmental issues to kids is easier
today.  Dear EarthTalk: Do you have any tips for explaining
global warming and other complex environmental problems to my
kids? - Peter Buckley, Pittsburgh, Pa.  Kids today may be more
eco-savvy than we were at their age, but complex topics like
global warming may still mystify them.  SUBSCRIPTION ONLY. 
Posted. 
http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/04/07/3864429/earthtalk-explaining-environmental.html
 

OPINIONS

Second Climate Thoughts.  The U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change published its latest mammoth report last week, and
the effort marks an improvement over the IPCC's last such effort
in 2007. That may not be saying much, but on climate change
intellectual progress of any sort is worth commending. Posted.
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303532704579477222157281450?KEYWORDS=climate+change&mg=reno64-wsj


Viewpoints: Focusing on cleaning up the air.  High-pollution
countries such as China and India have not always seemed willing
to clean up their air, which in turns dampens American enthusiasm
for investing in pollution control and responses to climate
change. But in fact, people like Manisha Panwar make it clear
that China and India have huge incentives to reduce air
pollution, including greenhouse gases.  Posted. 
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/05/6297698/viewpoints-focusing-on-cleaning.html

BLOGS

California is about to run out of green PHEV HOV lane stickers. 
The Golden State is very close to running out of stickers that
allow plug-in hybrid vehicle drivers to take up precious HOV lane
space all on their own, according to Green Car Reports. To add
insult to injury, the funds for California's rebates for plug-in
vehicle purchases ($2,500 for battery-electric vehicles, $1,500
for plug-in hybrids) may have also dried up. We last looked at
the sticker status in mid-March, when about 36,200 green stickers
were spoken for. Posted.
http://green.autoblog.com/2014/04/07/california-about-to-run-out-of-green-phev-hov-lane-stickers/


Toyota NA CEO says his excitement for hydrogen sedan is rising. 
Toyota has an undeniable vested interest in seeing its hydrogen
sedan succeed when it goes on sale in the US next year, so it's
no surprise that the company's North American CEO, Jim Lentz,
says that he's got more hope for the car now than ever before.
And if we remember ways that others in the company, like Bob
Carter, have loudly sung hydrogen's praises, we have to assume
that positivity is running awful high in Torrance. In fact, Lentz
said that the US side of the company is far more excited by the
H2 car than colleagues in Japan. Posted.
http://green.autoblog.com/2014/04/04/toyota-na-ceo-says-his-excitement-for-hydrogen-sedan-rising/




California is in a drought emergency.
Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.